Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Please help the Cubs, Mr. Selig

During your remarkable tenure as baseball commissioner, you have persuaded nearly every home market to build a new ballpark for its team. Fans reap the benefits of modern amenities, comfortable seating areas and plentiful concessions. Players enjoy spacious locker rooms and indoor practice/workout facilities.

So why are the Cubs left behind?

Incredibly, the fourth-most popular team in baseball has the second-worst ballpark in baseball.* Due to its crippling limited night-game schedule and lack of premium seating areas, the Cubs don’t enjoy the revenue or exposure they deserve. Wrigley Field’s night-game shortage and devastating wind effect make a Cubs pennant almost impossible.

Imagine FOX’s World Series ratings if the Cubs were to participate. Every night would be like a Super Bowl. Sadly, the Cubs have almost no chance of reaching the Fall Classic so long as they remain in Wrigley Field. They need a Miller Park, near United Center (West Side) or Sears Centre (northwest suburbs), to compete fairly with their league rivals. With strong leadership from the commissioner’s office, the Cubs could leave Wrigley Field gracefully, allowing it to become the museum and shrine to baseball its neighbors and nostalgia fans desire. Meanwhile, the Cubs could turn to the business of winning championships.